resilience Archives - start.campuswell

The events of this year are enough to crush anyone’s drive. So how can you stay motivated this school year? Read this article to learn some tips.

01 NovFeaturedMental healthMindStress

Stress and the student body

by Renée Morrison0 Comments

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If exam season is approaching, your class notes may be piling up and your calendar becoming crammed with study sessions and finals. Pressure? Ever feel like it’s too much? “We do need some stress sometimes for us to perform our best, but too much stress can become exhausting and make you unable to function. You may not be able to recall facts or apply your knowledge analytically,” says Dr. Laura Offutt, an internal medicine physician and the founder of Real Talk with Dr. Offutt, an interactive health and wellness website. The good news: You are not helpless. If stress is the villain that’s bringing you down, resilience is the hero that’s cheering you on. Here’s how to manage your stress, keep calm, and study (and play) on.

Your body & mind on stress

Stressed out cartoon student

Adrenal glands release stress hormones:

Heart beats faster
Blood pressure rises
Muscles tense
Feel tired and foggy-headed
Struggle to remember and learn
Icky digestion

More information

The adrenal glands produce “fight or flight” hormones. In some situations (e.g., when a tornado is heading your way) these can potentially save your life. These hormones get your body mobilized for action in order to survive (dodge that tornado).

In other situations (e.g., exam nerves) they are not so helpful—more of an overreaction. Your body doesn’t use that extra jolt of energy. Instead of earning tornado survival bragging rights, you’re at risk for the negative side effects of extended stress.

Epinephrine (adrenaline), a hormone, enters your bloodstream and circulates through your body. Here’s what it does:

Your heart beats faster
Your blood pressure rises
Your muscles tense
Your sweat production increases
You may feel over-alert and struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep
You may feel mentally foggy and unable to function and focus in the daytime

Cortisol, a hormone, gets your body mobilized and ready for action in order to survive. But in many cases (e.g., exam prep) this cortisol is not so useful. Elevated cortisol levels for an extended period of time can:

Impair your memory and learning (and your exam performance)
Impair your immune function
Erode your bone density
Cause digestion problems
Contribute to weight gain
Raise your blood pressure

Brain sends distress signal to nervous system

The amygdala, a part of the brain that is key to emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus, a part of the brain that regulates hormones and controls body functions, relays that distress signal via the autonomic nervous system. This manages involuntary body functions such as breathing and blood pressure.

How to turn it around

Deep breathing and mindfulness

Deep breathing & mindfulness reduce your stress hormones

Deep abdominal breathing engages the vagus nerve, which signals to slow down the heart rate, lower the blood pressure, and put the brakes on cortisol.

+ Deep breathing techniques

“When I feel overwhelmed or stressed, I go outside and find a spot where I can just breathe and clear my mind.”
—Stephanie G., fourth-year undergraduate, California State University, Stanislaus

Mindfulness & meditation are powerful tools for reducing stress hormones and boosting emotional resilience in demanding situations.

Set aside 10–15 minutes a day. Focus on taking deep breaths and recognizing which areas of your body are holding tension. For regular tips and guidance, see Mind your mind, a monthly series on our BetterU pages.

+ Mindfulness for college students

“Using mindfulness techniques has helped me manage my procrastination. It has allowed me to really understand and analyze the situations I am in. For example, if I know my schedule for the upcoming week is going to be especially rough, then I’ll try to finish as much work as I can earlier.”
—Matthew S., second-year undergraduate, Santa Clara University, California

Physical activity

Physical activity manages your stress hormones

Physical activity channels cortisol productively.

Cardio workouts and competitive sports will do the job.

Low-intensity activities (e.g., tai chi and yoga) work too:

Fluid movement + deep breathing + mental focus = calm

“Exercise helps clear your head and makes it easier to sit and stay focused mentally. Choose whatever activity you love. It doesn’t have to be training for a triathlon or an hours-long workout. It can be going for a walk, playing Dance Central, or shooting hoops.”
—Dr. Laura Offutt, creator of Real Talk with Dr. Offutt, an interactive health website for teens

+ Real Talk with Dr. Offutt

Student stories
“I personally use exercise as a de-stressor! You’ll find me more at the gym during exam time.”
—John Handal, fourth-year undergraduate, Redeemer University College, Ontario

“Jogging alone while listening to music at night can really calm you down too.”
—Reza Wang-Lotfi, second-year undergraduate, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Laughter and joy

Laughter, joy, music, & downtime raise your feel-good hormones

Laughter and joy channel cortisol productively.

They release endorphins (your brain’s feel-good chemicals)
They are associated with lower levels of stress hormones

Making time for fun could actually improve your exam score. On weekends, make time to go to a funny movie or a live comedy show with friends. Even the anticipation of a good joke can start to lower stress hormones, according to a 2008 study in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Music is uplifting. You knew this anyway, but a 2003 study in Neuroendocrinology Letters showed that listening to music lowers cortisol and stress levels.

Taking an hour before bed without cramming lets your brain and body slow down. If you get antsy, try reading (no textbooks!).

Student stories
“I recommend an hour of downtime before bed, such as listening to relaxing music (a symphony/orchestra).”
—Amy Neilson, fourth-year undergraduate, Western Washington University

“I find that if I am stressing about an exam or something else school-related, the best way for me to relax at night is to lie in bed and listen to a meditation that lasts for 30 minutes to an hour. They are easily found on YouTube, and they’re great for relaxing when you find reading doesn’t help.”
—Laura Barr, second-year undergraduate, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Evening downtime and music

Laughter, joy, music, & downtime raise your feel-good hormones

Laughter and joy channel cortisol productively.

They release endorphins (your brain’s feel-good chemicals)
They are associated with lower levels of stress hormones

Music is uplifting. You knew this anyway, but a 2003 study in Neuroendocrinology Letters showed that listening to music lowers cortisol and stress levels.

Taking an hour before bed without cramming lets your brain and body slow down. If you get antsy, try reading (no textbooks!).

Your body & mind on resilience

Relaxed cartoon student

Lower levels of stress hormones
Higher levels of feel-good hormones
Heart beats slower
Blood pressure lowers
Feel clear-headed and focused
Feel rested
Able to recall information

Your black bag of stress-management techniques

“People who are successful at reducing the negative effects of stress have a variety of tried-and-true techniques. This helps keep their techniques effective over time, and covers different environments and situations,” says Steve Lux, senior health educator at Northern Illinois University.

Your personal “black bag” can include strategies that are effective indoors or out, any time the year, at no cost, and that address either your physical or emotional needs (or both).

Sample black bag

Mindfulness
Support group (e.g., Al-Anon)
Guided relaxation
Nature or neighborhood walk
Call friend or therapist
Church or temple
Music (e.g., Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major)

Get help or find out more

10 ways to de–stress before exams: Modul University Student Service Center

Coping with stress: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Managing your stress: Palo Alto Medical Foundation

De-stressing tips for college students: Care2

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01 AprFeaturedMindMindfulnessSelfSelf-improvement

True grit: How to push through and move forward

by Janelle Martel0 Comments

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As a student, you’re probably pretty familiar with stress. You might also have wondered why some of your peers on campus seem to handle their challenges relatively easily while others struggle to meet similar demands. That difference relates to resilience, or grit: the ability to overcome and draw strength from difficult situations. “At our most resilient, we can surf the waves of change and stress rather than being swamped and drowned by them,” says Dr. Holly Rogers, a psychiatrist at Duke University.

In recent years, researchers have identified protective factors and processes that help individuals cope and explored how those can be nurtured. “A large number of people do not develop the problems we would expect them to have [after serious adversity]. We have for 50 years been interested in explaining what makes the difference,” says Dr. Michael Ungar, founder and co-director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia.

Why is resilience so important?

“Resilience skills can help students not just get through college but actually thrive and flourish while doing it,” says Paula Davis-Laack, who designs resilience training programs for professionals and organizations. “Resilience skills bring out the best qualities in a person and activate desirable behaviors. Resilient students can tolerate change, stress, uncertainty, and other types of adversity more effectively. They are less likely to experience setbacks and diminished work/school performance, ‘learned helplessness,’ and other problems.”

Is resilience born or made?

“Resilience has been very conclusively shown to be a bundle of skills that everyone can learn, develop, and practice. One of the leading researchers calls resilience ‘ordinary magic,’ because it doesn’t require anything fancy or sophisticated to build,” says Davis-Laack. External supports matter too, including “the capacity of the institution to create opportunities for students to succeed,” says Ungar.

What builds resilience?

Hanging in through a challenge
Learning from experience
Strong relationships
Seeing your current situation
as a turning point
Humor and realistic optimism
Appropriate environmental supports

Got grit? Find out here

How does your resilience rate? Test yourself

Which early life experiences block resilience?

Early life experiences have long-term implications. People who go through adverse childhood experiences—like childhood abuse, witnessing violence against their mother, or living with a substance abuser—are at higher risk for alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and other health conditions, according to an influential study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 1998, and ongoing research.

Other childhood risk factors include:

A lack of strong connections
within the family
Difficulty with social relationships
School issues, including low achievement, absenteeism, and dropping out
Living in poverty
Serious physical or emotional health issues within the family

Which habits make it harder to bounce back from adversity?

Negativity bias: Bad experiences have more impact on our neuropsychological development than good ones. Resilience-building strategies offset this effect.
Denial: Difficulty accepting the event or experience
Victim mentality: “Why does it always happen to me?”
Placing blame—on yourself or others
Comparing yourself to others, or unfavorably comparing your present with your past
Avoidance: Not talking about it and not seeking support from friends, family, and/or a professional

What helps us overcome severe setbacks?

Most children who grow up in difficult circumstances develop into well-adjusted and successful adults. Why? In part, because certain protective factors can offset the challenges.

Protective factors for resilience include:

Supportive, nurturing parents or other adults
Stable housing and income
Regular physical activity
Mindfulness meditation and/or faith-based services
Access to religious or faith-based services
Access to health care
Strong social relationships and positive peer influences and mentors
Personal characteristics such as social skills, problem-solving abilities, autonomy, and sense of purpose
Community programs, such as after-school activities and college supports

TRUE OR FALSE? what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

This is both true and false.

Mild and moderate adversity can help build coping skills, according to research. More than 8 out of 10 students surveyed by Student Health 101 said they had experienced a challenging experience or situation that made them a better person.

Severe adversity is a different story, and there are risks in assuming that any suffering makes us stronger. “By perpetuating the belief that pain is edifying, we place the onus on survivors to heal themselves—and we deemphasize the value of prevention and support services,” pointed out a columnist in the Washington Post in January. The growth potential lies in working with others to overcome trauma, specifically giving and receiving help.

What difference does resilience make to students?

Even in everyday circumstances, resilience makes a difference. In a 2010 study of medical students, the resilient students:

Had a more positive view of the learning environment
Were less likely to develop depression or experience burnout
Were better able to develop and maintain relationships with teachers and other students

Your school can help build your resilience
“A student’s resilience is not just the individual’s capacity to cope. It is also the capacity of the institution to create opportunities for students to succeed. So when Carleton University [in Ontario] noticed that a lot of their first year students felt lonely or disconnected to the university, they began creating cohorts of 100 students who all take classes together. The students felt better supported and made friends, [which] predicted better coping when first-year stressors piled up.” —Ungar

7 ways to build resilience

1. Think of three good things

Positive experiences are opportunities to identify and build our inner strength. Try the Three Good Things exercise from the Penn Resiliency Project at the University of Pennsylvania.

The three good things exercise Every day for a week, write down three good things that happened that day. For each event, write why it happened, what it means to you, and how you can have more of it. This is a great way to discover your strengths and how you can use them to overcome challenges. This exercise was developed by researchers at the Penn Resilience Project, University of Pennsylvania.

Sample exercise:

What happened	Why it happened	What it means to me	How I can have more of it
1. Cooked huge pot pie with Karen	Finished assignment in advance, made time for relaxing and socializing	Healthier food, fun company, all set for 3 more dinners this week	Invite Rhodri to cook with me next weekend
2. Good grade on my research paper	Created a plan to complete my paper over a week instead of trying to do it all in one night	Feeling proud, less anxious, more in control	Create a study plan for every assignment
3. Got invited to a party	Got to know Dana in class	Great time. I have more friends then I thought, and a new Zumba partner	Chat more with classmates etc.

2. Practice mindfulness

“Mindfulness has been identified as one of the primary ways to develop resilience in college students,” says Dr. Rogers. Her class-based approach, Koru, is the only evidence-based mindfulness training program developed specifically for college students, and is in place on more than 30 US campuses. Many colleges offer other mindfulness classes and programs. Koru’s mindfulness exercises for students.

Quick mindfulness exercise
Practicing mindfulness meditation for 10 minutes a day—for just a week—results in better sleep, less stress, and greater self-compassion, according to research.

Free guided meditations

Read this through a few times before you practice:
Wherever you are right now, close your eyes. Pay attention to your breathing and see if you can find the place in your body where you most clearly feel the sensations of your breath moving in and out. For some people, the belly moving in and out is most prominent. Others notice the rise and fall of their chest. Still others most easily feel the breath moving in and out at the tip of their nose. It makes no difference at all where you feel your breath; you are just trying to discover the place in your body where you can most easily make contact with the sensations of breathing.

Got it? OK, now just let your attention settle on that place where you most easily feel your breathing. With an attitude of relaxed curiosity, count 10 breaths. Don’t try to change your breathing. You don’t need to do any special or fancy breathing. Just count 10 inhalations and 10 exhalations.

Most people will notice that their mind wanders before the end of the first breath. When that happens, just notice that you are thinking about something else, and without judging yourself or your wandering mind, bring your attention back to your breath. Stop after you’ve completed 10 breaths.

3. Be NUMB to negative thoughts

The NUMB Technique, a four-step process for redirecting your thoughts, was developed by Dr. Ilena Boniwell, professor of applied positive psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.

Notice the negative thought. Keep an elastic band around your wrist and flick it each time.

Understand it. Why is this thought occurring?

Manage it, using the acronym ACT:

Active intervention: Walk around the block, or run up and down stairs.
Calm intervention: Take a few minutes to meditate or refocus.
Talking intervention: Involve a friend or therapist.

Build on the positive emotions.

NUMB technique [TED talk]

4. Nourish your happy experiences

Our experiences drive our brain development. To empower yourself through positive experiences, try the HEAL system identified by Dr. Rick Hansen, a neuroscientist at the University of California Berkeley.

Have a good experience: For example, celebrate a friend’s birthday.

Enrich it: For about 20 seconds, reimagine the venue, the food, the cake, the joke. This consolidates your long-term memory of the event. Practice this with every positive experience, and make it a habit.

Absorb it: Focusing on the experience encodes it into your neural structure.

Link positive and negative experiences: Allow the positive feelings to soothe negative memories and heal old pain.

HEAL technique [TED talk]

5. Identify and apply your strengths

The Penn Resiliency Program recommends this method:

Recall past experiences (good and bad).
Focus on the strengths that brought you that positive experience or helped you overcome that challenge.
When you experience difficult situations in the future, think about how to use those strengths to handle this challenge too.

6. Find your growth mindset

To build grit, develop a “growth mindset,” says Dr. Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Find ways to remind yourself regularly of the following:

The ability to learn is not fixed. It can change.
Failure and setbacks are not permanent and can be overcome.

Growth mindset [TED Talk]

7. Nurture close relationships

Social connectedness is key to protecting us from stress. Helping friends or family members, and volunteering, can help improve your self-confidence, self-worth, and resilience.